Thursday, August 20, 2009

Putting on the Boxing Gloves

Ok, here it comes... my opinion can sometimes spark debates and ill feelings, and I'm prepared for that, but this is MY blog and I can say what I want. (so there! hahaha, if you know me, you know that I am SO NOT a mean person...)

So the PETA campaign... (if you don't want to hear my opinion about the new billboard being good, stop reading now, and this evening you can read about my chickpea burgers!)

Have you seen it?

Am I the ONLY person on this planet that thinks this is a GOOD campaign?! Well, me and PETA I guess...

Now, as you all know, I am a vegetarian, and I'm not overweight. Is this the reason why this campaign doesn't bother me? Probably, but there's more to it.

Why are we as a society OK with saying "She is TOO thin!" out loud, but we can't say the opposite? Why do people tell ME "You eat so healthy all the time..." like it's a bad thing?! What is with all of this outrage? An uneducated public?? ...yep, once again that's probably the answer. (SIGH)

PETA is doing one thing right- they're getting attention. They're really good at it, and each and every campaign that they do gets some sort of press. If they put up a billboard of fruits, veggies, grains, beans, nuts, seeds, etc. etc. etc... would it get the same attention? OF COURSE NOT- they're not dumb. This campaign, I hope, will make people think twice of going and getting a hamburger from a fast food restaurant that has fillers, trans fats, and crap in it.

On the other side of that, a vegetarian diet can be a GREAT diet, you just have to be responsible for keeping track of what nutrients you're getting- if you're getting enough protein, iron, etc. It's funny- my dad said to me today "there was a doctor on TV that said that a vegetarian diet can cause cancer..." That's what he heard-- but the reality of it is that the doctor was talking about UNDERWEIGHT people... not just vegetarians. This is what the public hears. I wish everyone was forced to watch Food, Inc. (I still have that trailer up... look to the left). I wish that everyone was much more informed. And I wish that people got out of their PC bubbles and FACED REALITY. HEART DISEASE IS THE NUMBER ONE KILLER OF WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES. WHAT IS THE NUMBER ONE REASON THAT IT IS THE NUMBER ONE KILLER?! OBESITY. TAKE OFF YOUR BLINDERS, PEOPLE.

The only problem I do have with the campaign is that they didn't put a guy on the billboard, too. Notice that I didn't say 'instead'... I said TOO. It doesn't bother me that they're targeting women- it bothers me that they're NOT ALSO targeting men.

I guess the reality is- people need to take care of themselves. Why is that so wrong? Why is this PETA campaign making people so angry? Is it because they're being insensitive to people that are overweight? Is it because it looks like they're 'anti-women' because there's only a woman on the billboard? Is it because Americans are really ashamed of themselves, and are upset that someone is finally calling them out on it?